Chapter 219
Shen Youying subconsciously touched her brow where he had touched her, and asked uncertainly, "Really?"
In fact, she felt that life was much calmer now than she had imagined, though there were indeed more social engagements than before. She wasn't a particularly adept social butterfly; if she could, she preferred to spend time with a few close friends rather than be surrounded by wives and officials with ulterior motives, scheming and having to carefully consider every word she said.
Xue Shen said, “Of course there is. I will take care of the storms outside. Now that you are pregnant, you should not worry too much. If you want to attend those social events, just do so; if you don’t want to, just decline them. Now that you are pregnant, you should focus on your own happiness and not worry too much.”
Shen Youying raised her eyebrows and said, "I just want to help you share some of the burden."
Xue Shen gently stroked her cheek and smiled, "I understand, but actually Zhao Zhao doesn't need to do anything anymore. Just being able to see Zhao Zhao every day when I come back is my greatest comfort. As the saying goes, 'A wife, children, and a warm bed'—it may be a bit vulgar, but the meaning is sound."
Shen Youying was amused by him: "Then I won't take care of you anymore."
Xue Shen's eyes softened: "Take care of yourself and the child, leave the rest to me."
*
The two stayed at Yue Tong Villa for two days, and on the evening of the third day, they set off back to the Prince's Mansion.
As soon as the carriage arrived at the Prince's residence, Wang Deshun was seen waiting anxiously at the door.
Wang Deshun was always calm and composed, and he would not show any signs of urgency unless it was something important. Shen Youying assumed that something serious had happened and said to Xue Shen, "You go first, I will go back to Tingmei Pavilion by myself."
Xue Shen nodded, and only after she was escorted back to Tingmei Pavilion by the maids did he lead Wang Deshun to the study.
"What happened?"
Wang Deshun glanced around before lowering his voice and reporting, "The scouts have sent an urgent message saying that Qi Zhong has made his move."
Xue Shen paused, a shadow falling over his heart. He glanced subconsciously in the direction of Tingmei Pavilion, his expression growing even darker: "Let's talk in the study."
Once they reached the study, Wang Deshun explained the whole story.
Emperor Cheng'an intended to negotiate peace with the Northern Rong, but at the same time, he was wary of Shen Mingjiang's relationship with Xue Shen, fearing that Shen's achievements would overshadow his own. Therefore, he sent his trusted eunuch Qi Zhong to the border early on to deliver an imperial edict to retrieve the tiger tally.
Although Shen Mingjiang did not agree with the peace talks, he did not disobey the imperial decree. After Qi Zhong announced the decree, he handed over the tiger tally. In a letter home a few days ago, he said that he had already set off to return to the capital.
But today, Xue Shen's spies urgently sent back a secret report, saying that Qi Zhong had made a move on the way.
Qi Zhong claimed that Shen Mingjiang was dissatisfied with the emperor's peace negotiations and initially refused to hand over the tiger tally. After finally handing over the tiger tally, he secretly mobilized troops while passing through Taiyuan and clashed with the Northern Rong army that was preparing to withdraw. As the supervising officer, Qi Zhong had no choice but to mobilize troops to suppress Shen Mingjiang and his rebels in order to ensure the smooth progress of the peace talks with the Northern Rong.
Shen Mingjiang refused to admit his mistake and fled into the mountains with his men. Qi Zhong had already ordered scouts to send the message back to the capital with the utmost urgency, but Xue Shen's spies were even faster and arrived in the capital first.
If Wang Deshun hadn't known that Xue Shen would be returning in the evening, he would have already ridden his horse to Yue Tong Manor to deliver the news.
Xue Shen's expression was cold and stern as he chuckled, "He really couldn't hold back."
Emperor Cheng'an was already wary of him, and now that he has entered the court, the previously suppressed talk of returning the throne has gradually been brought up again.
Emperor Cheng'an had plotted to murder his brother, and Xue Shen, as the crown prince, was crippled in both legs, making it impossible for him to succeed to the throne. Despite the late emperor's edict and the repeated requests from his ministers to ascend the throne, Xue Shen, in order to improve his reputation, deliberately stated at his enthronement ceremony that he would temporarily assume the throne.
At first, he thought Xue Shen's legs would never heal, so he spoke nicely for the sake of his reputation, which did indeed quell the rumors of his senior brother usurping the throne to some extent.
But now that Xue Shen's legs have been healed as if by divine intervention, his words at the coronation ceremony have become Xue Shen's leverage.
Under Xue Shen's covert instigation, some officials have already submitted memorials mentioning Emperor Cheng'an's earlier statement of "temporary replacement" and requesting that Xue Shen be made crown prince.
If Shen Mingjiang were to return in triumph, Xue Shen would not only have the support of morality and censors, but in the near future, relying on the Shen family's prestige in the military, he might also gain the support of military generals.
When Qi Zhong was sent to the border, Emperor Cheng'an may not have made up his mind yet, otherwise he would not have waited until Shen Mingjiang returned to the capital before taking action.
Now, in order to cut off Xue Shen's arm, Emperor Cheng'an couldn't wait to take action against Shen Mingjiang.
Xue Shen stood up and paced a few steps in the study: "Do our men have any news about my father-in-law? What are his plans now?"
When Qi Zhonggang set off for the border, he had already sent scouts to the border to inform Shen Mingjiang. Shen Mingjiang was loyal to the Great Wei and the emperor, but he was not blindly loyal and should have been prepared.
At this point, Wang Deshun's expression became somewhat strange: "General Shen did not tell our people his intentions, but he left coded messages along the way. Our people followed him and found that he went to Qinzhou."
Qin Prefecture.
Xue Shen's eyelids twitched as he recalled Shen Youying's elder brother, Shen Xiuyi. Before his "defection," he had served as the Military Commissioner of Qinfeng Road and the Prefect of Qinzhou, guarding the Northwest.
At this critical juncture, Shen Mingjiang suddenly clashed with the Northern Rong and sent his personal guards to Qin Prefecture, which makes it hard not to think deeply.
Xue Shen frowned and pondered for a long time before asking, "Did any spies bring back news of Consort Shen?"
Initially, Zouma accused Shen Xiuyi of colluding with the Western Xia and defecting to the enemy before the war, and then fleeing to the Western Xia after the incident. However, after extensive investigation, both the people sent by Shen Mingjiang and the people he sent concluded that Shen Xiuyi was assassinated before the war and disappeared on the edge of a cliff.
Because the cliff was extremely high and no signs of Shen Xiuyi's survival could be found, although everyone only said she was missing, they were actually tacitly assuming that Shen Xiuyi was dead.
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